Pencil-sharpening device.



R. C. SIMMONS.

PENCIL SHARPENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25. 1913.

hmmm@ P11-rented ont. 24,1916.

RALPH C. SIMMONS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

PENC1LSHARPENING DEVIUJE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Unt. 24, 1F13.

Application led August 25, 1913. Serial No. 786,397.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that lf, RALPH C. SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Beverly, in the county of Essex and Statepf Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Pencil-Sharpening Devices, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like characters on the drawings representing likeparts.

This invention relates to sharpening devices and is herein shown asembodied in a device especially designed and adapted for sharpening leadpencils.

The present invention has for its object to provide a simple, eiiicientand inexpensive sharpening device for the purpose specified. To thisend, a stationary tapering cutter is located within a box or caseprovided with a rotary cover carrying one or more guides for the pencil.Provision is made for securing the cover to the box or case againstaccii dental removal without interfering with the rotation thereof,whereby the sharpening device may be secured to a vertical wall orsupport without danger of the cover falling od'. The guide for thepencil is preferably made as will be described, whereby it aords a firmbacking or support for the pencil while being sharpened, and 'also actsas a stop to limit the downward feed of the pencil. |The guide referredto is preferably made adjustable with relation to the tapering cutter,so as to compensate for the reduction in the size or diameter of thecutter caused by grinding or re-sharpening of the same, thereby enablingthe cutter to be frequently sharpened and obtain therewith points of thesame fineness or size on the pencils. These and other features of thisinvention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of pencil Sharpener embodying thisinvention, the box or case being broken away. Fig. 2, a plan of theSharpener shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 33,Fig. 2. Fig. 4, a detail in section on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, looking up.Fig. 5, details of the holding device for the cover. Fig. 6 and 7,details of the guide shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 8, a section on the line8-8, Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a tapering cutter provided onits circumference with longitudinally extended blades or cutting edgesb, which are preferably inclined or vsubstantially helical in form. Thecutter a is located within a box or casing c and is stationary therein,and in the present instance, the cutter is provided on its lower surfacewith an externally threaded hub d, which engages an internally threadedhollow boss e, extended from the bottom of the box or casing c, andagainst which the lower surface of the cutter abuts as shown in Fig. 3.The box or casing o is provided with an opening 10 in its outer or uppersurface, which is of smaller, diameter than the box and is normallyclosed by a cover 12, which is provlded at its center with a hub orprojection 14, which bears against the upper surface of the stationarycutter a and rotates thereon. rlFhe cover 12 has secured to it a pin orstud 15, which enters the bore of the stationary cutter and carries atits lower end a holding device for securing the cover to the box orcasing a against accidental removal, without interfering with therotation of the cover. ln the present instance, the holding device isshown as a dog or'lever 16 pivoted in a slot 17 in the lower end of thestudor pin 15 and provided with a finger 18, which is designed to extendunder the stationary cutter a, as shown in Fig. 3. The holding dog 16has coperating with it a pointed or beveled pin 20 on a threaded stud orplug 21, which engages the threaded hollow boss e and is riveted, asherein shown, to a base plate 22, which is designed to be secured to avertical or horizontal support (not shown) by screws 23 or otherwise.

rllhe box or casing c before it is applied to the threaded stud 21 hasthe cutter a screwed into its position with its bottom resting on thethreaded hollow post e, and the cover is then applied to the box orcasing Ac with its center pin 15 extended through and having a bearingin the cutter. rfhe locking dog 16 assumes the position shown in Fig. 5.The combined box and cover is then screwed upon the stud 21, and whenthe pointed end of the stud 20 engages the beveled surface 25 of the dogor lever 16, the latter is forced outwardly and the finger 18 thereof isbrought under the stationary cover, thereby locking the pin 15 and thecover 12 to the casing or box c. When the box c has been screwed to itsseat upon the base plate 22, the pointed end of the pin 2O 'the presentinstance, the cover) is'shown as carrying-two guides of likeconstruction except as to size, and each consisting of a cylindricalupper portion 27, provided wlth external screw-threads 28 and havmg acutaway lower portion 29 extendedfrom said threaded portion. Thecylindrlcal upper portion of the guide. engages a threaded opening inthe cover 12, and is secured m its adjusted position by a nut 30. Theup-- per portion ofthe guide is provided with al cylindrical bore 31 andthe lower' portion witha conical bore 32, and said lower portion is cutaway to leave a tapering straight face 33, having a tapering slot 34(see Fig. 6), through which the pencil is exposed to the cutting actionof the blades of the stationary cutter. The taper of the straight face33 is madeon substantially the same angle as the taper of thevstationary cutter,

as represented in Fig. 3, which results in the straight face of theguide being substantially parallel with the blades of the cutter, and byreason of the fact that the guide is vertically adjustable in the cover,it can be lowered or moved into the box or casing c so as to compensatefor the reduction in size or diameter of the cutter, caused by grindingor re-sharpening the same, and maintain the straight face of the guideat the same \or uniform distance from the blades of the cutterirrespective of its diameter within limits. The uncut or solidv portion29 of the lower part of the guide forms a solid backing for the pencilbeing sharpened, and the conical bore of the same acts as a stop'tolimit the downward movement or feed of the pencil, with the result thatthe sharpened pencils are provided with points of substantially uniformlength and ineness.

In Fig. 3, the cover 12 is shown as provided with two ides of diferentsizes, whereby pencils of different thickness may be sharpened, but itis not desired to limit the invention in this respect.

In operation, the pencil to be sharpened is inserted intothe guide tubeand pressed down by the operator, who uses the pencil as a crank orhandle to turn the cover and carry the pencil around the stationarycutter, which removes the portion of the lower end which projects throuh the tapering slot 34, and as the lower en of the pencil is reducedinsize and converted Vfrom a cylindrical into a tapering or conicalform, the pencilis fed downwardly in the conical bore of the guide,until the oint projects through the apex of the conica bore 32 andengages the cutter, as represented by the larger pencil in Fig. 3. Thecover is turned in-the act of sharpening the pencil, so that anytendency of the cutter to be turned by the pencil, will be in suchdirection, as to screw the cutter into the threaded boss e and thusmaintain lthe bottom of the cutter in contact with the said boss. Whenit is desired to remove the chips from the box or casing c, the latteris turned so as to unscrew it from the stationary stud 21, whichreleases the holding pawl 16 and permits it to be turned so as to removeits finger 18 from engagement with the stationary cutter, and therebyunlocks the cover, so that the latter canI be removed to uncover theopenin 10 in the box or casing. The conical bore o the guide 'tubeprevents a too ra id feed of the pencil. By making the gui e adjustableso that it can be moved in the direction of its length, a liner orcoarser cut may be obtained as desired; that is to say, if it is'desired to remove in one revolution a larger amount of wood, the guideis adjusted into the box so as to allow more of the pencil to come intocontact with the cutters, whereas,

-if it is desired to obtain a fine cut, the guide is adjusted out of thebox or is moved longitudlnally in the opposite direction.

Claims. A

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a box orcasing provided with an opening and with a threaded hollow vbossopposite said opening, a stationary tapering cutter located in saidcasing and havin a bore, and a threaded hub to engage said threadedhollow boss, a rotatable cover for said opening, a pin secured to saidcover and extended into the bore of said cutter, said pin having a slotin it, a locking lever pivoted in said slot and having a finger toengage said cutter, means coperating with the said lever to engage thefinger of the latter with said cutter, and a guide for the pencilcarried by said cover,

substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a box orcasing, a

removable, substantially conical cutter located therein substantiallylat the center thereofand having a fixed relation thereto, a rotatablecover for said box or casing, and a guide for the pencils adjustablysecured to said cover and provided with a portion within thesaid casinghaving a substantially straight face provided with a tapering slotextended substantially parallel with the outer surface of the cutter,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a box orcasin a conical cutter located therein and secured in xedrelationthereto substantially at the mennen m center thereof, a rotatable covertor said casing, and a guide for the pencil carried by said cover andextended into said casing and adjustable in the direction of its lengthto vary its position Within said casing, the portion of saidguide-Within the box having a substantially strai 'ht tace provided witha tapering slot exten ed substantially paral- 1e1 with and in closeproximity to the enter surface et the conical cutter, substantially tbas described.

][n testimony whereof, have signed my name to this specieation in thepresence et two subscribing Witnesses.

.RALPH C. SUM/IUFM,

Witnesses: s

des. H. Cnmnonnmn, J. t/tnnrnrr.

